Seven Acts to Apocalypse

Brazil’s The Evil has gone through some considerable upgrades since their 2017 self-titled debut. Seven Acts of Apocalypse sees a new singer brought into the fold along with a more theatrical scope applied to their take on occult doom. Having each song represent one of the seven deadly sins also gives it a purposeful angle, even if identifying gluttony with voracity is an interesting choice.

The musicianship does well in playing out the album’s premise in dark epic splendor. The vocals are more commanding than those of the debut, exhibiting a bluesy howl occasionally dipping into some operatic flourishes and occasional choral layers, and the guitars take on a crispy molten tone. The rhythm section also ensures dedication to the largely crawling pace with the bass still maintaining the debut’s prominent yet murky presence.

And with a premise that essentially writes itself, it’s interesting to see how the individual songs play into their themes. It certainly makes sense for “Pride” to make the most of that symphonic flash and the closing “Wrath” has an appropriately brutal plod, but I also appreciate the irony of “Sloth” actually being the most upbeat track with its pushy chugs. “Greed” might be my personal pick of the lot, utilizing its creeping bass-driven build with heavy escalation and especially ominous vocals.

Overall, Seven Acts to Apocalypse is those one of those albums that seems specifically designed to appeal to me as a listener. I’m always here for this sort of epic doom and there are enough interesting factors to give it an interesting identity, even if it might’ve benefitted from a more fluid execution. Anybody into bands like Smoulder, Stygian Crown, and King Witch would do well in giving The Evil a shot.